Original Brief

Commission brief: The Des Moines Association of Arts, an organization created in 1916 to bring art exhibitions to the city, received in 1943 fund to erect their site. The trustees required a building that would correspond to the best style of that period, avoiding any imitation of Greek, English or Gothic architecture. Other requests for the design were the use of stone in the building, and a limitation to a determined height. Design brief: In 1944 the name of Eliel Saarinen was brought up in the centers council, and in the same year he designed his first scheme, that featured a block-like tower and a colonnaded entry, reachable by a double flight of stairs. His final proposal, handled in March 22, 1945, was less ambitious than the preliminary scheme, partly because a reduction in the budget.

Significant Alteration(s) with Date(s)

Type of change: Extension Date: Commission, 1966 (e). Construction 1968 (a) Circumstances/reasons for change: An expansion was needed to shelter the sculptures properly, since they required enough space to provide walk-around visualization. Effects of changes: The new additions square shaped plan fits in the old buildings court, facilitating circular tour of the interior. It is two stores high, composed of sculpture exhibition halls and a modern auditorium. Persons/organizations involved: Architect: I.M.Pei & Partners Museum director: Thomas Tibbs Type of change: Alteration of original pool Date: 1968 (a) Circumstances/reasons for change: The pool was rebuilt in order to receive I.M.Pei’s addition. Effects of changes: The new pool became the key element to the wholeness of the composition, unifying the first building and its addition in the most effective way. Persons/organizations involved: I.M.Pei & Partners Director: Thomas Tibbs Type of change: Alteration of Saarinen building auditorium into A. H. Bank Galleries Date: 1968 (c) Circumstances/reasons for change: With the construction of I.M.Pei addition and its new Auditorium the old one turned obsolete. Effects of changes: The museum gained three new galleries for exhibition of modern art paintings. Persons/organizations involved: Architect Charles Herbert.Type of change: Alteration, creation of the museum shop Date: 1983 (e) Circumstances/reasons for change: The Des Moines Art Center needed to place its museum shop, witch weren’t specified at the original building plan. It was placed at the north end of Saarinen’s building, were the library was located. Effects of changes: The old library moved to the school ring. Persons/organizations involved: Director: James T. Demetrion.Type of change: Extension. Date: 1985 (e) Circumstances/reasons for change: The museum’s growing recognition and its increasing collection brought the need for a new building to accommodate galleries and other facilities. Effects of changes: Three contemporary buildings were constructed. A restaurant block, a wing containing storage, galleries and service space and a more sizable construction aside, to house permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. Persons/organizations involved: Architect: Richard Meier & Partners, Director: James T. Demetrion.

Current Use

Art Museum. The Des Moines Art Center also offers art classes and workshops to the public.

Current Condition

The museum finds itself in great condition. The Des Moines Art Center Association is the responsible organ for conserving the museum’s site.

General Description

Three generations of architects, each of them important personality of the modern architecture movement, contributed to the full design of the Des Moines Art Center. The first construction, built in 1948 by Eliel Saarinen, was conceived with elements of modernism typical from Eliel’s designs. The lack of ornaments is a strong characteristic of the building, together with its horizontality, made evident by the low-structure and its flat roof. The U-shaped plan embraces the reflecting pool in the central court, where Richard’s Meier Restaurant addition and I. M. Pei Sculpture wing are bond together. Facing this pool, right across the main entry is a tall glass wall enclosing a door, this wall is composed of rectangular glass pieces and steel frame, resulting a pleasant configuration. The entire facade is covered with lannon stone, which gives a rough, neutral appearance to the whole. I.M. Peis addition can easily be classified as one building of the brutalism movement, with its massive, concrete construction, and pockmarked texture that resembles naturally weathered rock. A butterfly sectioned roof supply the interior with indirect lightening while enormous windows oriented to the south and north provide view to the park and the other buildings that surround it. Concave window niches at the top of the auditorium steps also function as conversation pits for intermission audiences. The three white buildings designed by Richard Meier summarize a total area of 28.000 square feet. The largest unit of this addition is isolated from the complex to the north, being connected to the old Saarinen building trough a glass enclosed corridor. The other two constructions are: a wing containing gallery storage and services placed at the west wing of the original building and a restaurant block right into the northwest corner of the courtyard. This buildings standout for its albescence and complexity, in them a rigid granite cube is partially covered by sinuous curves that emerge horizontally and vertically against an assortment of rectilinear planes.

Construction Period

Original Physical Context

The museum is sited in a land in Greenwood Park at the Northwest corner. Visual relations: One of the concerns of the first commission was to build the Des Moines Art Center site with a respectable relation to its natural surroundings. The building low and horizontal composition is one of the features that contributes for the achievement of this propose. Functional relations: In 1987 the museum’s trustees suggested expanding the exhibitions to the Park but, due the resistance of some citizens, this project didn’t had enough repercussion. To date only one exhibition took place in the Park, an environmental work by Mary Miss called “Greenwood Pond: Double site”. Original situation or character of site: The Greenwood Park was an hilly, wooded acreage.

Social

The Des Moines Association of fine arts was established in 1916 with the purpose of bringing art exhibitions to the citizens, engaging people with art and inspiring them. Since the construction of the museum site they have been offering accessible art education and free of charge exhibitions to the community.

Cultural & Aesthetic

The construction of Eliel Saarinen Design, together with its additions, established a significant modernist alternative to the traditional architectural concept of art museum. The choice of their architectural styles is particularly relevant, the early modern architecture from Eliel Saarinen, I.M. Pei exemplar of brutalism and Richard Meiers building committed to the “Whites group”, are samples of what were new and promising at the period which it was designed. The way its tree different buildings connect themselves harmoniously, demonstrate that, although changing in various ways in time, different modern movements can still share the same language.

About

Membership

Donate

Donations keep vital architecture alive and help save threatened sites around the country. Docomomo US relies on your donations to raise awareness of modern design and advocate for threatened sites. Take action now ›